The Auction House
by Mine To Mark Contest
Summary: Natural born non-human females are extinct. Humans know of the supernatural world and protect their females, just not well enough. Welcome to the Auction House.


**Mine to Mark Contest**

**Title: The Auction House**

**Rating: M**

**Genre: Drama**

**Word Count: 5,707**

**Pairing: Edward/ Bella**

**Summary:** Natural born non-human females are extinct. Humans know of the supernatural world and protect their females, just not well enough. Welcome to the Auction House.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or its characters.

EPOV

I hate attending these events. It would be difficult enough if it were just vampires, but being forced to attend one where weres and shifters were mate searching also, was degrading. Things have changed over the centuries since the outbreak.

Once the humans realized there was much more than them out there, they had taken to doing what they do best–developing a weapon to eradicate the threat. The problem was, the supernatural beings were so much faster and stronger than they were, their weapons were not only ineffective, but we used to taunt them because of their inadequacies. Turned out, we shouldn't have poked the sleeping giant like that. They succeeded in developing a chemical weapon that slowly killed off every female that wasn't human, essentially forcing all the species almost to extinction.

Almost 150 years ago, one of the shifter clans abducted a few human females and started a breeding program. It worked, to the shock of most of the supernatural world. The females were able to carry a child to term, but they needed to be turned, or they died. The problem no one could foresee was the fact that every baby born since have been male, all of them, and once turned, the female could no longer bear offspring.

At first, it was a random taking of females, an experiment to see if it would work for all the clans or just certain ones. While every clan was successful to an extent, it turned out not every female was strong enough to carry a supernatural child to term, and no clan had determined a way to tell which female would live and which would die.

It took the humans decades to realize we had found a way to procreate and were responsible for the taking of the women. Once they did, they built fortresses, heavily guarded fortresses, to protect the women aged 15-30. Few supernaturals looked older than 30, hence the ages they chose to protect.

Still, there are organizations, with human members, that break in and kidnap dozens of women several times a year. Sometimes a certain clan pays for the break-in and other times, such as this one, several facilities are hit at once and an auction is held. I am here to find a mate, hopefully.

With the extinction of our females, mating rituals changed. When both sexes were born supernatural, mating or imprinting was instinctual; both parties instantly recognized their mate and lived happily ever after, forever. It didn't work that way with the human females. With the females now, it was possible for more than one male to feel the mating pull and often they weren't the same species, resulting in mate fights. A fight for a mate could involve an entire family, and in order to stop cutting our numbers even more, it was decided in the event of a mate fight the female would choose which male she wanted as her mate. That decision stopped most of the fighting, but sometimes, sometimes a female was so desirable that other males would try to steal her away, even after she had mated. Those situations never ended well.

Fifty years ago, my brother Emmett's mate was such a female. She, Rosalie, actually chose another vampire, from the King coven, and it almost drove my brother mad. Although we fought and won her from their coven, it was years before she even spoke to Emmett, let alone mate with him. Our fight with the King coven was the catalyst that brought about the new rules involving mates and fighting for one. The Volturi were not pleased when we destroyed the King coven and 10 of our own kind.

Enough of the past; I'm here in an attempt to find my mate. An auction hasn't been held in almost 30 years, and this is the largest ever held. Rumor has it that close to 100 females are to be auctioned off tonight. If I don't find a mate tonight, it will probably be another 25 years before I find a female close to mating age. While this isn't a last resort, it is damn close.

My coven accompanied me to the auction. For the females, Alice and Rosalie, it is their first at an auction as vampires. Emmett and Jasper tag along when it's time for vampires to tour the cells holding the humans. I immediately notice something is off with some of the females' blood. Emmett opens his mouth, and I hear the question he's about to ask in his mind.

"Later," I tell him and hear Jasper's agreement in his thoughts. They both noticed something…different in some the women, although at this distance, none of us are sure what that difference is exactly.

As we move amongst the cells, it becomes more obvious that something had be done to some of the girls. Some smell faintly of vampire, some of shifter, and others of the different types of weres that were present. A few of the women are thinking of the vitamins and other injections that were administered earlier and I wonder why some of the females had been given the DNA injections and not others.

It is obvious that the vampires are attracted to the cells that held females that smelled like vampire, and shy away from the cells with the other scents. This raises an alarm in my mind. Why has this been done? Has someone paid the auction company to get the best females? Is there something in the other females that promotes breeding? The vampire population is slightly larger than others–is this a plan to lower our numbers?

Jasper's thought pulls me back to my mission. Time is running out, and we need to get back upstairs. I make one last pass through the cells, paying special attention to the ones that hold women with the other scents. Then, it happens. I see her. She is beautiful, and my body wants her as it has never wanted another female. I feel Jasper send me calm; it does nothing to sooth the lust running through me. She is mine, and I want to pull her from the cell and mount her right now, in front of everyone to prove she is mine. My mate. No one will touch her but me.

Emmett and Jasper each grab one of arms to stop me from doing something stupid. They know I have found her and that I need to get upstairs for the auction. I look back to her cell and take in the other women she is with so I will know when her group comes on the block. As she looks right at me, I realize I can't hear her mind. She is completely silent to me, and I wonder if she has a gift, or will have one when turned. She should be frightened by my nature; the other women have shied away from the bars and grouped together to avoid looking at any male. She does not; she actually approaches the bars and as I back away, she presses herself against them, trying to get closer.

She is very unusual. I have never heard of a human acting this way, no fear, and for a moment, I think I seem something in her eyes–longing, acceptance–I can't place the emotion, but it calls to me. As we return to the main area, I think about her calling to me and will need to discuss it with Carlisle; to my knowledge, a call such as the one I am feeling hasn't happened since the extinction of natural born female vampires. It should not be this strong to a human female.

As the auction starts, a very small part of my brain keeps track of the conversation and thoughts between my brothers and father. It registers that all of them are surprised by my reaction to the woman. None of them understands what it means, but all seem to think it was important.

I watch and listen as group after group of women are led onto the stage and auctioned off, their fear obvious. It is no surprise when the different clans bring the women that already carry their particular scent. I do wonder if it is a set-up–can they not smell the women? Do they not see that's why they are attracted to them in the first place? The more I think about the scenting of the women, it kicks in that my female carries a shifter scent. Does that mean the auction house intends her to go a shifter? The thought of one of them trying to claim her spikes my anger; even Jasper doesn't have the ability to calm me.

"Son, calm down." Carlisle says. "I don't know what is happening, but we will not leave here without her."

His statement helps, knowing that my coven, my family, stands beside me without knowing the problem. However, I can't shake the feeling that the auction house is up to something shady. I listen to the minds of the employees, and this appears to be status quo, and none of them are thinking anything is different about this auction. Had all of the auctions been rigged as this one was? I thought back to the other auctions I attended, the ones for vampires and other clans. No, this hadn't happened at the others, at least not that I was aware of. Is that it? Do they have someone gifted here? If that is the case, why am I able to notice it this time? Maybe someone is in attendance tonight that negated their gift. Maybe, but if that is true, why don't all the other attendees notice the scents coming from the women? The more things run through my mind, the more questions I have. I'm not sure I would have noticed right away if I wasn't trying to solve the mystery, but the scents suddenly disappears.

I quickly look at my brothers and they notice the change also. Looking at the stage, the women I noticed earlier are still there, I just couldn't smell the change anymore. Either the person hiding the change returned, or the person shielding me is no longer in the building. Jasper's thoughts catch my attention as he recognizes the next group being brought out for auction.

"This group," Jasper says to alert everyone to the fact that the one I want will soon be on stage.

I don't just want her though; it is more of a need. I need her with me; the thought of someone else touching her spikes my rage. She is mine, she belongs with me, to me, and I will annihilate any other who tries to take her from me.

"Calm down, Edward. She will be out in a moment, and then she will be yours." Emmett tries to soothe me, but something is wrong. I can feel it. We watch as the females are led out and the bidding begins. I scan the nine women on stage; there were ten in the cage below.

"Where is she?" I question. She is the missing female. "Where is she?" I roar this time. The auction stops as I flash on to the stage.

"What is the meaning of this?" The auctioneer asks. "You are not allowed on the stage. Return to the audience or be escorted out." A werepanther and a shifter stalk onto the stage, presumably to help remove me.

"There was another female in this group, brown hair, brown eyes, and for some reason, she smelled of shifter. Where is she?"

"Sir, I assure you all the females in this group have been brought up and there is no way she could smell of shifter. Now please, remove yourself or be removed." He is saying all the right things but his thoughts betray him. He is wondering how I managed to smell the shifter in her and if the shifter clan have gotten far enough away with her yet.

"You're lying. Several of the females tonight have been tainted with DNA of certain clans." I growl and look at the faces of several employees. Most are shocked, but one or two know what is going on. "You," I grab one of the humans by the throat. "You are in on it. I want to know where the female is now."

"I, I…I," he stammers, trying to breathe.

"Do not fucking lie to me. I'm a mind reader…did you know that?" I quickly tap into his mind for the answer, and his fear clouds every thought. "Obviously not. I don't exactly care about whatever you humans have going on tonight. What I do care about is that it has obviously affected my mate, and I want her now." I snarl and tighten my grip on him.

"Ease up Edward," Jasper warns. "We need him alive for answers." A whiff of urine has me glancing down at the human, who has pissed himself, and loosen my hold on his throat.

"Where is she?"

"They just left with her." He chokes out, and I squeeze to alert him to the fact that he hasn't given me enough information. "Traveling west…Washington state." Another squeeze. "Four of them…said she was promised."

"To whom?"

"The alpha's son. She wasn't supposed to be picked up."

I'm not happy with what I am hearing. He's telling the truth, but my rage spikes at how close I truly come to never meeting my mate and settling for something less.

"Let's go," I say to my coven as I turn to run out of the building.

"What about the others here?" Carlisle asks. I love my father, I do, but now is not the time to worry about anyone but my mate.

"I can't worry about them now. I must get to my mate. She is mine. I will not allow any other male to claim her, promised or not. I will fight for her. She. Is. Mine." I roar and take off into the night, not waiting to see how many of my family follow.

I follow her scent to the parking lot, taking note of the other scents around her. Definitely shifters, four of them and all males, and something about their scent seems familiar. As I run west, close to the highway, it comes together. Washington state and their scents–could these be a new generation of the Quileute shifters? We haven't been to the Forks house in decades, and although I have never encountered these particular shifters, they definitely have the earthy undertone of the Quiletes. Why would they think she is promised to one of them?

Emmett and Jasper catch up to me not long after I hit the interstate. I make sure to check every exit to see if they have gotten off for any reason. About an hour into the chase, I catch their scents at a gas station; I'm gaining on them, not more than 10 minutes behind now. As we resume running, my brothers explain that Carlisle and the females have remained behind to deal with the auction house and try to make sense of what exactly happened tonight.

"What do we do once we catch up to them?" Emmett asks.

"If I have to, I'll fight for her. She wants me. I know she does; she felt the same pull I did down in the cages."

"I thought her mind was silent to you," Jasper states.

"It is, but her mannerisms, the way she moved closer to the bars as I moved away. I'm sure she doesn't understand it, but the pull is there for her also."

"If you're sure, I'll stand with you." With that statement from Emmett and a nod of Jasper's head, it's decided that we will get my mate tonight. By force, if necessary.

"We're close–I can hear a whisper of their thoughts. There are four of them, two very new to shifting." I zero in on the one convinced she is meant for him. "She knows them. Her father is good friends with the Alpha; his son is the one who wants her."

I look deeper into this Jacob's mind and am furious. He knows she doesn't feel anything but friendship for him. He's going to push the imprint onto her, bind her to him forever.

"What, Edward, what is it? You need to control your rage; it is starting to affect me." Jasper groans as he struggles to contain my anger.

"He knows, that dog knows she doesn't feel anything for him. His plan is to force his imprint on her because he thinks he loves her. He is going to try to take her by force."

Three very distinct snarls sound in the night as we push ourselves faster.

"There, the red car." I point to the old, red POS car and am surprised they managed to stay ahead of us as long as they have. "They picked up our scent and don't plan on pulling over."

Jasper shows me a plan in his head, and I nod. It isn't necessarily safe, but it is the safest and best chance we have of getting the girl out of the car unharmed. I sprint to get in front of the car, with my brothers running along both sides. I listen to their minds, and a moment before the driver is going to try…something, I flip onto the hood of the car. I stare at the boy, Jacob, through the windshield.

"Be a man and fight me for her. Do not slink off with her as if you are taking her against her will." I don't look directly at the female but I feel her leaning forward, trying to get closer to me. She is not his imprint, and I begin to wonder if she would object to me killing him, friend or not.

"She has always been meant for me. She was taken by mistake," the boy tells me.

"What do you mean, meant for you? We're friends, Jacob, nothing more." He growls at the female as she is speaking.

"Quiet, Bella," he speaks to her harshly and I growl. No one will speak to my mate in such a tone. "She is my imprint." I hear her gasp, read his mind, and know this is the first she is hearing of this situation.

"I thought the imprint was mutual. I don't feel…"

"I said quiet, Bella," he yells, and I see her shrink back from him.

"Do not talk to her like that." I growl at him. "She is not yours. She is my mate. Now stop the car and let her decide, or I will take her." I hear the mental chuckle of the driver and nod at Jasper.

"What the fuck?" Several of the occupants yell as Jasper peels back the top of the car. I see their eyes widen with fear as they take in his scars, the proof he is a very skilled fighter.

"Pull over or I will take her," I say again. They are at a disadvantage; they can't shift into anything useful to fight us as long as they're inside the car. I nod to Jasper again.

"Fine," Jacob sighs when he realizes Jasper is leaning inside the car to lift the female out. They slow and pull onto the shoulder of the road. "Where are we doing this?" the boy asks as he climbs out.

"Right here is fine. It's the middle of the night and not much traffic."

"At the auction, they told us if there is a dispute, I would get to choose. Isn't that right?" The female looks around to see who will answer her. "I get to choose, Jake. No one needs to fight."

She is moving away from the shifters toward my brothers and me. While I feel relief that she obviously chooses me, I am not happy with her obvious closeness with the shifters.

"No, Bella. You are mine, promised to me," the shifter says as he reaches for her.

"I'm not yours, Jacob. I have told Billy and Charlie several times that they can't force me to marry you, and I don't want to."

His grip tightens as she tries to pull away, and I see him shaking, trying not to change.

"Let go of her." I growl at the boy. "You're hurting her." I crouch down and prepare to attack.

Two of them have already shifted and he pushes her away, but it is too late. He has started to change and his claws graze down her back, ripping her clothes as well as her flesh.

"I warned you," I snarl as I leap at the boy when I smell my mate's blood in the air.

The fight is over almost before it begins. They are not experienced fighters and are no match for us. My brothers quickly incapitate the other three with broken limbs. Proof of their youth is their inability to fight through the pain. They give up and the pain forces them to return to their human state.

I taunt and toy with the boy, slicing him but not doing anything to force him out of the fight. My brothers understand my need to torture him but remind me in their thoughts that my mate is injured. That is enough to lift the haze of anger around me, and I inhale deeply. She is still bleeding and needs my attention. I quickly break one of his front and back legs, rendering him immobile, and he is forced to shift back.

I look to my mate, in pain and almost naked due to her shredded clothes, and whimper. I walk toward her and hold my hand out. She moves forward and reluctantly places her hand in mine. She gasps and I know she feels it too, the comfort and contentment that comes from simply holding hands.

"How? Why? Who?" she stammers quietly, as she tries to make sense of what is happening.

"How–because you are mine. Why–because we are mated. Who–Edward Cullen," I answer each of her questions and kiss her hand. "And you are?"

"Bella, um, Isabella Swan."

"Isabella," I whisper and let her name roll off my tongue. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady."

I pull her to me and her petite frame is dwarfed by my mine. At 6'8", I am large for a vampire, but then so are my brothers. I turn us so I can tend to her wounds without the prying eyes of the others. As what's left of her shirt falls to the ground, the boy realizes what I am about to do and protests.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" he yells at me as and the others struggle to stand. I want to laugh– can't stand if your legs are broken, idiot.

"I'm going to seal the wounds on your back," I tell her softly. "We need to stop the bleeding." She nods and shivers as I place my tongue at the base of her back and give a long, slow lick. "The small amount of venom will close and heal them without a scar." She nods again.

"Why does that feel so good?" she questions and moans. I smell her arousal in the air and am immediately hard.

"Because we are mates, your body recognizes mine," I tell her, grinding into her soft ass.

"I didn't…think…it happened…like…ummm Edward…this," she stutters out as I continue to seal her cuts with my tongue.

"It doesn't normally, but something about you, about us." Her arousal is getting stronger and calling for me to claim her.

I have been alive a long time and been with many women, vampire and human, and none of them, not one, has ever tested my control as the woman in my arms. I'm actually a little afraid I'lol hurt her if I claim her now, and I don't want our first time to be in public.

After I seal the last cut, I remove my shirt and gently place it on her. It comes to her knees and looks like a dress. I slowly remove what is left of her jeans and check the rest of her for any injury. The shifters are healing quickly, and Emmett and Jasper move in front of them to prevent them from reaching us. As I kneel behind her, skimming my face along her thighs and back to assure myself she isn't hurt or will be bruised later, the boy decides to push my patience to the limit.

"She isn't yours, she's mine. Once I heal, I will get her back."

I spin us around at his statement. He reminds me of a child that has had his favorite toy taken from him, not a man that is losing his love.

"No, boy, she is mine, and I keep what is mine." I snarl at him as I run a hand down Isabella's front, undoing one of the buttons so I can slip my hand in and cup her sex. I feel her heat through her damp panties and growl. "Mine." I roar and rip off her panties, bringing them to my face to sniff. She smells divine.

"She was meant for me," he whines and then howls as he tries to shift and can't because of the pain of his broken limbs.

I listen to the thoughts of those with him and realize they have no respect for him. He may be the Alpha's son, but he is young and is used to having things handed to him. They each had to fight for their imprints and he thought Bella would just be given to him because their fathers made some type of agreement. He has no idea how to fight for her, and his friends actually find this amusing. I also see that if it comes to a fight, they will stand with him. The Alpha had given an order they would not be able to ignore. We can take them in a fight, that isn't a problem, but my female could be badly injured, and that is a possibility I can't allow. My frustration at the situation grows and I hold her closer to me, slowly sliding my fingers through her moist folds, causing her to moan out my name and grind against my hand.

"Stop touching her," the boy shouts and all of the shifters are shaking in their efforts to change.

It's time to end this. My inner beast roars that it's time to claim my mate and put this interloper in his place. I quickly undo my jeans and let them drop enough for my cock to spring free.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Isabella. I love you," I whisper into her neck. I see the slight confusion on her face, but mostly, she is caught up in the haze of lust surrounding us. She feels the need to be claimed as strongly as I feel the need to claim. I lift the back of my shirt, careful to keep the front in place. I may have to claim her in front of them, but I will not have them leering at her most intimate parts. That is for me alone. I line myself up at her entrance and with a roar claim my mate.

"Mine." I push into her fully, breaking her barrier. Fuck, she was tight. I still, soothing her, and waiting for her body to adjust to my intrusion. I am big, not obscenely big, but still big. She screams when I enter her and probably feels like her virgin pussy is being split in two. I circle my fingers on her stomach and whisper words of love until she whimpers and moves against me.

"You are mine, Isabella. Mine," I tell her as I drive in and out of her. "No one touches you but me."

"Yours, Edward, only yours."

Hearing her say the words makes my inner beast purr. Fucking right, she's mine. Then the boy decides to make himself known, again.

"I won't let her go, bloodsucker. She will never fully be yours. I'll come back and take her from you."

"I always keep what is mine, shifter." My inner beast smiles evilly as I slowly slide a hand down her stomach and gently circle her clit underneath the shirt. She is so wet and warm that it fuels my need to make him realize once and for all she will only be this way with me. "Who owns you, Isabella? Who do you belong to?" I whisper to her, knowing everyone would hear.

"You do, Edward." She moans and starts grinding her pussy back on me as I thrust harder. "Please," she moans in a ragged breath. She is close, and I want him to watch her come undone by my hand, my cock. I will never let him touch her again, not even one hair on her head.

"You feel so good, Isabella. Who makes you feel this good, Isabella?" She moans but doesn't answer. I bend her over slightly and thrust harder. "I asked you a question, female. Who makes you feel this way?"

"You, only you."

"And who am I?"

"Edward, my…" She's very close to coming and having a hard time talking.

"Your what, female?" I drive into her faster and circle her nub quicker. My beast needs her to say the words.

"You're nothing to him, Bella! Nothing!" the boy shouts.

"What am I to you, female?" I growl out and move her hair to one side. As soon as the words are said, we are marking her, my beast and me.

"My mate!" she shouts as I pinch her clit and feel her pussy pulse around me as her juices run down our legs.

"Yes, mine. My mate." I roar up to the stars and sink my teeth into her neck, releasing the marking venom.

"Oh. My. God," my little mate exclaims as she orgasms again from the venom. Her body is shaking and the fluids from both of us are dripping on the ground. Her tiny pussy isn't able to hold all of my cum and definitely not both of us cumming that hard together.

The desperate howl of an injured wolf brings me back to my senses; I was lost in the beauty of marking my female. Her body is quivering and she is trying to catch her breath. I remove my teeth and seal her mark.

"Ssshhhh, Isabella, my beautiful mate, you are mine in all ways now. No one can take you from me." I feel her shiver, and it doesn't seem to be in fear. "I'm sorry to claim you this way, but it is necessary for the boy to understand." I feel her slight nod and step back to allow my cock to slide from her.

I adjust the shirt so it hangs to her knees again and move her behind me. My brothers have kept their eyes on the shifters during our coupling, which I am grateful for, even though with the shirt they wouldn't have seen anything. Isabella moves closer until her chest is against my back. "Mine," I hear her whisper and don't try to stop the victorious smile I know is on my face.

I tune into the thoughts of the shifters again and realize they had not agreed with the Alpha in his decision to take my mate for his son. They feel sorry for Isabella, knowing that one day the boy could truly imprint on another and then my mate would have been kicked out of the tribe. The boy's father should have known better and helped his son let her go, not try to force the relationship.

I turn to the boy and his face holds a look of utter defeat. He knows he has lost her forever; I need to make sure he understands what I will do to keep her.

"I understand you love her, but she is not your imprint, and you know this. She is mine, my mate. She chose me. Everything in me screams to get rid of you as a threat to my mate." I notice I have everyone's attention now. My brothers move into attack stances. We will annihilate them if need be.

"Against my better judgment, and only because you are a friend of Isabella's family, I am letting you live." His face and thoughts turn hopeful, but not for long. "However, you will never see her again. I will protect her at all costs, and that includes against your tribe." I look at the other shifters. "Tell your Alpha if I see or scent any shifters near us, I will not hesitate to order any attack on the entire tribe. If Isabella wants to visit her father, that is not an invitation for the shifters to show up. He should have taught his son better, and if he wants to keep his tribe intact he **will **heed my warning. It is the only one I will give. Any shifters sighted or scented near my family, and it will be considered a declaration of war. I'll involve the Volturi if need be. I keep what is mine, and Isabella is definitely mine. Understood?"

Three of them nod immediately. The boy wants to object, but a stern call of his name from the oldest of the others has him nodding too. I keep my mate behind me as they make their way to their car and leave.

"What happens now?" Isabella whispers as I turn to face her.

"Now, I introduce you to my brothers, we meet up with rest of the family, get to know each other, and start our forever, Isabella."

"I think I'd like that, Edward. I think I'd like that a lot." She smiles and blushes.

"Good, because I'm an extremely jealous and possessive vampire, Isabella. Remember that, and eternity will be easy."

She looks as if she wants to protest but wisely keeps her mouth shut as I put her over my shoulder and run to meet up with the rest of the family.


End file.
